Today we’d like to introduce you to Abe Breuer.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Abe. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Back in 2004, when construction was booming in the New York tri state area, we wanted to open a company which would take advantage of the construction developing growth. We knew that we want to go into the servicing line; but in a business that requires a strong inventory. Unlike painters, plumbers, etc., a career choice which anyone can go into, by us we have millions in inventory such as in trucks, equipment, portable toilets and trailers to service our customer. It takes more than just knowing the necessary skills to open a company like ours.
My brother Victor and I opened the company. After a very successful start, we were contacted in 2009 by the CDC, at the time of the swine flu scare, with the request that they are looking for a one company shop that could provide luxury restroom trailers in Sacramento, Memphis, Suwanee GA and Cleveland, Ohio. We then had only three restroom trailers (the fancy, luxury trailers you can see at an outdoor wedding) with 300 portable toilets on a very local demographics. We by far did not service any of the states which the CDC required, but we recognized an opportunity and jumped on it. We purchased eight new, large trailers and responded to the CDC with the affirmative. YES! We are the man for the job. We received the contract, and we were busy flying from point A to point B getting the job done.
While on those trips we got to talk, and Victor (the smart one vs. me the handsome and the smart one lol) came up with a brilliant, nationwide concept that has worked since.
We had to open a new name reflecting the luxury restroom trailers VIP To Go Inc (John To Go Inc is the local company), a new web site and all new marketing. To date, John To Go is a local company operating within 50 mile radius of our home office in West Haverstraw NY, and VIP To Go has 3 offices in New York, Fort Lauderdale Florida and Austin TX. VIP To Go has trailers in most states of the country and takes calls from customers all over, whether long term or short term jobs. When you need an outdoor restroom or shower trailer, you call VIP To Go.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
By far not, but that renders you thick – headed. We knew all along that succeeding is a must. We were also aware that we needed to look at the item we sell – ‘CRAP’- which to us is considered gold. We, therefore, regarded it with respect and looked at it as a commodity, like a wall street trade. Similarly we treated our customers, employees, equipment and trucks with utmost respect. We had a few years of successful growth and then the real estate crash followed. It was not only devastating to the business in terms of sales; our accounts receivables also did not bring in money as a result of all the developers going bankrupt. In addition, Victor, a real estate appraiser, and I, a real estate investor, had our hands full with problems and our pockets empty of dollars. We persevered and as other companies folded, we picked up their areas and their customers. We replaced our white dress shirts with purple t-shirts and got our hands dirty in a truck on a route.
Please tell us about John To Go / VIP To Go.
John To Go is a local portable toilet and waste service company serving the construction and the event world.
VIP To Go is a nationwide supplier of Restroom and Shower trailers; it is a luxury brand of outdoor Restroom and Showers mostly doing long term jobs which amount to weeks, months and sometimes even years.
In our company we specialize in taking care of our customers and ensure that the customer comes first. From the minute you call us to when our equipment arrives, from our customer service team to our dedicated drivers, and even going to the minutest details of toilet paper, soap, etc., we guarantee the ultimate customer satisfaction. We roll over our inventory every 18 months. The beautiful restroom trailer with TV and fire place inside which you see today at an event, in 18 months time you won’t be seeing it again as it will be sold, and we will already have new inventory.
When you are a customer of John To Go and / or VIP To Go, you get the service you pay for and much more. Moreover you get the VIP experience, from access to someone in our company 24/7, to having our sales team visit you all the time. On the VIP side you get holiday gifts and year round promotional items. To us, keeping you as a happy customer is way more important than acquiring new customers.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
As two brothers, both very aggressive and fast movers, perhaps we would have been a bit more conservative, but if I could redo anything, it would be even stronger customer service. The policy in our company is that when you are a customer above a certain number, you get the cell phone numbers of the owners. The owners will also pop by your site at regular intervals to say hello and ascertain that everything, no matter big or small, is working out to the customer’s satisfaction.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4 Carol Ave West Haverstraw NY 10993
- Website: www.johntogo.com www.viptogo.com
- Phone: 877 564 6977
- Email: info@johntogo.com
- Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/johntogony/
- Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/restroomtrailer/
- Twitter:https://twitter.com/johntogo1
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